Dispensing closure



Dec. 22, 1959 S. M. LIBIT DISPENSING CLOSURE Filed Nov. 12, 1958 DISPENSING CLOSURE Sidney M. Libit, Glencoe, lll.

Application November 12, 1958, Serial No. 773,296

8 Claims. (Cl. 222-512) This invention relates to a combined dispensing spout and valve for a receptacle for liuent material. In particular it has reference to a two-part device comprising a fixed part for incorporation with the receptacle and a movable part including a dispensing opening which is digitally shiftable between on and off positions whereby flow of the material may be initiated and interrupted.

With the advent of those relatively rigid, yet deformable, plastic compositions such as polyethylene it is now possible to fabricate two part structures serving as a valve to initiate and terminate flow of liquid from a receptacle; the device sometimes including a nozzle, and to achieve fluid tightness between the parts without the use of seals or gaskets. My invention constitutes improvements in devices of this general class and, in particular, the devices disclosed in my co-pending United States. applications, Serial Nos. 653,309, filed April 17, 1957, and 734,300, tiled May 9, 1958.

Another object is to provide a device of the character mentioned which is extremely compact, as compared to present forms of such devices, thereby to utilize a substantially smaller quantity of raw material.

Still another object is to provide a molded device which is readily adaptable for dispensingy liquids of low as well as comparatively high viscosity with only minor alterations in the molds.

A further object is to provide a device which is so constituted as to be self-sealing by suitably utilizing the inherent elasticity of the material in a novel manner.

An additional object resides in the provision of a deviceV as aforesaid in which the movable part is shifted translationally between ont and off positions and wherein means are provided to inhibit inadvertent dislodgment of the part in the event the user applies shifting force, erroneously or inadvertently, in a direction at right angles to the proper direction of movement.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which,k

taken with the accompanying drawings, discloses certain forms which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. l is a plan View of a device in accordance with my invention, in closed condition;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is a cross section thereof taken on the line 3 3` for a receptacle whereby iiuent materials may be pouredv following opening of the valve, and the flow thereafter terminated by closing the valve. To this end I` provide a fixed part including means for attaching the invention 2,918,200 Patented Dec. 22, 195.9

lCC;

device to the receptacle or incorporating the same integrally therewith, and a movable part which includes a dispensing opening, e.g. a nozzle. The parts are slidably interconnected by means of a dovetail joint permitting translational movement of the movable part whereby the dispensing opening therein may be brought into register with a passage in the fixed part in uid communication with the interior of the receptacle. Thus, iiowl may occur, while reverse movement will interrupt the flow. In another aspect the invention device includes stop means for insuring proper positioning of the parts for on andV offf 1n yet another aspect the invention includes means for realizing an efficient seal at the junction of the parts to avoid leakage. In still another aspect the invention incorporates a provision to inhibit improper` operation of the valve.

Since the male and female elements of the dovetail are initially engaged by forcing them together against the resiliency of the material and, inasmuch as the ultimate consumer is likely to reverse the process inadvertently the present invention includes means for militating against such occurrence. To this end the movable part is anked on a pair of opposed faces parallel to the direction of` movement with fixed abutments cooperative with ribsv on the movable part to restrain these faces against lateral deformation of a degree which would allow unintentional; disengagement of the dovetail joint. The presence of the abutments and ribs and4 their relationship withv the movable part effects a tighter liuidv seal between the two parts. Additionally each abutment isy provided with a rib super-- incumbent upon the respective ribs of the movable part further to supplement the operativel interlock of the fixed and movable parts.

Turning now to the drawings I have shown a preferred form which the invention may assume in practice comprising a fixed part 10 anda movable part 11. The fixed` part 10 includes a skirt 12 and an interior circumferential rib 13 for securing the device to the beaded neck. of a receptacle of a common type such as those usedfor fuel for pyrophoric cigarette lighters. Sometimesl an` inner hollow conical portion 14 isincluded and is adapted` to fit snugly in the neck of they receptacle to,l supplement the sealing action. In the case of a metal receptacle it is sometimes preferred; to fit the closure into an aperture punched through awall of the receptacle, for which: purpose other expedients are availed of. The inventionv closuremay be employed wit-h squeeze type bottles having; a neck of the resilient material by forming the skirt 12 as a part of the neck--in which case the plug 14 is omitted. However, the parts 12, 13 and 14 form no part: of the invention per se as still other modes of attaching, the-device to, or integrating the same-with the receptacle, are possible. ln the case of a device provided with, a. skirt as just described for forcible placement on the neck of a receptacle certain additional advantages follow and; will be elaborated upon hereinafter.

Arranged to form anupstanding portion on the princi-- pal, upper, generally flat, outer surface 17 of the fixedV part 10 is a substantially parallel-epipedic member 211 of elongated form provided with longitudinally extending ribs 23-23, sometimes jointly referred to herein.y as a dovetail element.

Adapted to be engaged over the member 21 for slidingv relation therewith is the slidable member 11 having a. substantially parallelepipedic, hollow body portion 29 in cluding a top wall 31, side walls 32-32 and end walls*` 33-33. Each of the walls 32-32 is provided on its interior with a rib 25 adapted to engage resiliently underVv the ribs 2,3-23. These several walls and the ribs 25 define what isk sometimes herein referred to as a female. dovetail element. It will be noted that theupper. face. of each of the ribs 25 is inclined complementarily to an inclined face of the associated rib 23 so that, in effect, these serve to interconnect in the manner of a dovetail as commonly understood. It will be recognized that the slidable connection between the movable and fixed parts of the device is maintained by the interlocking character of the two dovetail elements. Moreover, by forming the sliding joint of a dovetail character, the inclination of the abutting inclined faces of the ribs 25 and 23 may be so arranged and dimensioned as Vto exert a downward force upon the movable member to supplement the fluid seal between the fixed and movable parts of the device. At this juncture it is to be noted that, in order to allow assembly of the body 29 over the member 21 an'elastomer, such as polyethylene, is employed. Thus the body 29 may, upon initial assembly, be forced over the member 21 and thereafter retained in the working relation illustrated. Additionally, many plasticV compositions, such as polyethylene, possess a waxy surface thereby facilitating relative sliding movement of the two parts notwithstanding the snug degree of engagement dictated by the function of the parts. Such sliding movement is over a distance limited by abutment of a wall 33 with the respective ends of the member 21.

Member 21 is provided with a passage 43 affording communication with the interior of the receptacle to which the device is attached and is preferably provided with an elongated, narrow pad 41 which, being in forcible abutment with the top wall 31, serves to seal the opening 43 when the device is in its on and off positions.

Inasmuch as the inclined, contacting faces of the ribs` .23-23 and 25-25 are such as to draw the top wall 31 into tight relation with the pad 41 a relatively high pressure per unit area is achieved and leakage of liuids, even those having extremely low viscosity such as naphtha, simply and reliably precluded.

Any suitable pouring means may be provided on the movable valve part. For example, the same may be a simple opening therein or may, as shown be a nozzle 46 projecting from the upper surface of the body 29 and having a bore 47 which is adapted, in the on position to register with the bore 43 and, in the olf position, moved out of register, as will be apparent. While the nozzle 46 may constitute a handle for shifting the movable part 11 it will be understood that any other means may be employed for that purpose, i.e. when the nozzle is omitted a suitable projection may be provided for manipulation.

In a device in accordance with this invention it is to be expected that members of the consuming public may misapprehend the operation of the device and, instead of thrusting the movable part in the direction of the guide 21, attempt to obtain register of the bores 43 and 47 by a false movement perpendicularly to the intended direction. Since such careless action will, in many cases, dislodge the movable member 11 it is preferred to provide a recess 18 into which the member may be received over its stroke.

By recessing the part 29 in the recess 18 any tendency of the walls 32-32 to diverge is substantially counteracted, thereby materially supplementing the interengagement of the ribs 23-23 and 25-25 and the consequent csiealing force between the fixed and movable parts of the evice.

From the foregoing it will be evident that when one or the other of the two parts of the device is made of inherently resilient material, e.g. polyethylene, initial assembly is easily accomplished by forcing the two into engagement by momentary distortion of the resilient part whereafter engagement is maintained in the manner illustrated. Obviously, and preferably, both parts may comprise resilient material. The instant concept is'ideally adapted to assembly by high speed automatic machinery since the same requires only ordinary orientation of the parts in suitable guide channels and application of thrust to the movable part, u

The invention device includes additional means to circumvent any urge on the part of the user to force the movable spout part perpendicularly to the intended direction of shifting and to supplement the engagement of the dovetail elements. To this end there is provided a pair of abutments 60 of elongate form anking each of the walls 27 of the body 29. These, in turn, are backed by buttresses 61 to implement what would otherwise be some degree of accidness of the abutments 60. The

abutments 60 and buttresses 61 may take various other forms so long as there is presented an elongated inner wall for a purpose to be described. The walls 27 are each provided, adjacent their lower edge, with a rib 64 coextensive with the length thereof. The transverse spacing (Fig. 5) between the inner surfaces of the abut-I ments 60 is made less than the corresponding dimension between the outer faces of the ribs 64. Thus the pinching effect of the abutments 60 is applied in a concentrated manner, namely, adjacent the lowest part of the base 29.

The net result is to cause the female element of the dovetail to engage the male element with substantially implemented action than would be the case if the exible walls 27 alone were depended upon. This laterally-applied force is translated via the inclined surfaces of the dovetail sliding one upon the other to provide not only a tighter seal between the horizontal, abutted sliding faces of the fixed and movable parts representing the sealing region, but to resist any inadvertent dislodgement of the movable part 11. Location of the ribs 64 at the lower edge of the walls 27 enables maximum leverage in applying the force of the abutments 61. As an additional precaution intended to oppose inadvertent dislodgment of the movable part 11 the inner surface of each abutment 60 is provided with a rib 70 so arranged as to engage over respective ones of the ribs 64 whereby an interlocking relation is achieved to supplement the interengagement of the elements of the dovetail.

Further to counteract a users attempts to dislodge the movable closure part in the mistaken belief that a hinged relation exists between the fixed and movable parts the operating pad 35 is partly concealed behind a guard 71 which surrounds the area of operation of the pad. Thus the crevice represented by the necessary operating clearance between the lower face of the fixed part 10 and the movable part 11 is concealed from view. It was found, that in devices absent the guard 71, some users, noticing this crevice, gained the impression that the device operated by swinging the movable part about its right hand end, using the nozzle 146 as a handle. Thus the parts became separated and, due to the close operating clearances and the resistance of the material replacement is difficult. y

While I have shown a certain embodiment of my invention, it will be understood, of course, that I do not Wish to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A two-part dispensing closure for a fluid containing receptacle provided with a portion defining a pouring opening therein comprising: a fixed part including means for incorporating the same with said receptacle portion and a top surface having an upstanding, substantially parallelepipedic projection, a movable part translationally shiftable relative to said fixed part between two positions corresponding to on and off conditions of the closure having a walled base portion defining a substantially parallelepipedic recess, said projection and recess each having interengaging ribs for maintaining said movable part in shiftable relation with said fixed part, means cornmon to said fixed and movable parts for limiting the stroke of the latter between said positions, said recess and projection having respective contiguous surfaces providing a fluid-tight joint between said parts, said fixed part having a passage providing fluid communication between the interior of the receptacle and said fixed part contiguous surface, said movable part having a passage providing fiuid communication between the movable part contiguous surface and the exterior thereof, the respective terminations of said passages at said surfaces being adapted to be shifted into and out of register corresponding to on and off positions of the closure, said movable part base portion having exterior ribs in the direction of shifting movement, and said fixed part having ribs superincumbent upon said base portion ribs to supplement the engagement of said first mentioned ribs, at least one of said parts consisting of resilient material.

2. A two-part closure for dispensing fiuent material from a receptacle provided with a portion defining a pouring opening comprising: a fixed part including means for incorporating the same with said receptacle portion, sad fixed part havng a male dovetail element, a movable part translationally shiftable with respect to said fixed part between two positions corresponding to on and off conditions of the closure having a walled base portion defining a female dovetail element engaged over said male dovetail element, said male and female elements having respective abutting faces forced into contact by the camming action of the sloping faces of said elements to provide a fluid-tight joint between said parts, means common to said parts for limiting shifting movement of said movable part, said fixed part having a passage providing fiuid communication between the interior of the receptacle and said fixed part surface, said movable part having a passage providing iiuid communication between said movable part surface and the exterior of said movable part, the ends of the respective passages terminating at said surfaces and being adapted to be moved into and out of register when said movable part is shifted between on and off positions respectively, two opposed walls of said base portion being parallel and each being provided on their exterior with a rib having a sliding face extending in the direction of shifting, said fixed part having a pair of spaced abutments each presenting a surface to a respective wall of said base, each said abutment surface being provided with a rib having a sliding face parallel to and superincumbent to the sliding face of a respective said first rib for sliding engagement therebetween, the pairs of ribs supplementing said camming action of the dovetail elements in forcing said abutting surfaces into contact and the retention of the fixed and movable parts in secure shiftable relation, iat least one of said parts being of resiliently deformable material.

3. A closure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said yfixed part incorporating means includes a principal, upper, generally fiat, outer surface and said male dovetail element and abutments are outstanding from said face.

4. A closure in accordance with claim 2 further characterized by buttresses between said abutments and surface to rigidify said abutments.

5. A closure in accordance with claim 2 wherein the opposed walls of said base portion terminate on their lower edges closely adjacent said fixed part upper surface and the movable part ribs are closely adjacent said lower edges.

6. A closure in accordance with claim 1 wherein the sliding faces of the pairs of ribs are in a common plane parallel to the fixed and movable part abutting surfaces.

7. A closure in accordance with claim 1 further characterized in that `the dimension between the outermost edges of the ribs of the base portion of the movable part is greater, regarding the fixed and movable parts separately, than the correspondingly measured distance between the abutments of the fixed part.

8. A closure in accordance with claim 1 further characterized by the provision of a pad on said base portion for digitally operating said movable part to on position and said fixed part is provided with an upstanding guard partially overlying said pad to restrict the area of the pad available for digital access.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,018,552 Cooke Feb. 27, 1912 1,578,418 Gannon Mar. 30, 1926 1,975,481 Schneible Oct. 2, 1934 2,123,643 Wilson July 12, 1938 2,496,439 Bumber Feb. 7, 1950 2,624,494 Gerin Jan. 6, 1953 2,839,228 Levine June 17, 1958 

